The Mets and Yankees met on Tuesday night for the first of four games this season between New York City’s Major League Baseball teams.
They opened the aptly named Subway Series headed in opposite directions and continued on different paths in the opener, with the Mets beating the Yankees 9-7 at Citi Field in Queens. It was the Mets’ 11th win in their previous 14 games to lift them to 38-39 after they were 24-34 to begin the month of June. The Mets are in third place in the National League East and were 13 games behind the division-leading Philadelphia Phillies before hosting the Yankees again last night at Citi Field. The New York squads will reconnect at Yankee Stadium on July 23 and 24 for two games.
Tuesday’s loss was the eighth in the Yankees prior nine games to drop them to 52-39. As manager Aaron Boone looks to navigate them out of the slump, the Yankees remained in first place in the American League East, two games in front of the Baltimore Orioles, which were 49-30 when yesterday’s MLB schedule began. Over the weekend, the Yankees learned unpleasant news that they would be without designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton for what is expected to be four weeks with a strained left hamstring injury, the eighth time in the last six seasons he has suffered a left hamstring setback. Stanton was putting together a strong campaign with 18 homers and 45 RBI.
In his second outing of the season on Tuesday after returning from right elbow nerve inflammation and edema, reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole allowed seven hits, including four home runs, and gave up six-earned runs while walking four and striking out none.
Emerging Mets third baseman Mark Vientos did most of the damage to Cole with solo home runs in the second and fourth innings. Reliever Dedniel Nunez registered the win, tossing 2 2/3 innings directly after starter David Peterson went 4 1/3 giving up just one earned. In total, Mets first-year manager Carlos Mendoza used five pitchers.
Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge, who had five RBI, hit a grand slam in the eighth inning, his 29th homer this season, which led MLB as of yesterday, but the Mets held on.
Judge was supportive of Cole following the defeat. “…He’s still working back. That’s our ace,” he said. “That’s our guy and we want him out there every single five days. Games like this happen. Just have to move on.”
The Yankees will play the Toronto Blue Jays for four games on the road beginning tonight, then will host the Cincinnati Reds in the Bronx for three games starting on Tuesday, including a Fourth of July 1:05 p.m. matchup.
The Mets will take on the Houston Astros for three games this weekend and play four versus the Washington Nationals on the road Monday through Thursday.
